"It doesn't matter who teaches them," said Kari Bahour, who teaches Infant Swim lessons from her home. "We just need to keep these kids safe and prevent drowning."

Jessica Vander Velde can be reached at (813) 661-2443 or jvandervelde@sptimes.com.

.MORE INFO

Pool safety tips

• Learn to swim.

• Never leave a child unobserved around water.

• Put a phone near the pool to call 911 in an emergency.

• Learn CPR and insist that others who care for your child know CPR.

• Enclose the pool completely with a self-locking, self-closing fence with vertical bars. Fence openings should be no more than four inches wide, and the house should not be included as a part of the barrier. The gate should be constructed so that it is self-closing and self-latching.

• Keep basic lifesaving equipment by the pool such as poles, ropes, and personal flotation devices.

• Keep toys away from the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children to the pool.

Source: American Red Cross

Swimming lessons

Here are some locations in the area that offer swim lessons this summer.

(813) 689-0908, www.mybsac.org, then click on programs, then swim lessons.

6 months and older

Eight 40-minute classes, $95 for members, $100 for nonmembers, maximum six children per instructor. Minigroup classes: five 40-minute classes, $114 for members, $120 for nonmembers, maximum three children per instructor. Parent and tot classes: four 30-minute classes, $42.25 for members, $45 for nonmembers. Private classes: five 30-minute classes, $142 for members, $150 for nonmembers.

Group classes: six 45-minute classes, $33 for members, $49 for nonmembers; four 45-minute sessions, $22 for members, $33 for nonmembers. Private classes: one 30-minute class, $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers.